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We report studies of multifunctional, nanostructured diamond composites that were fabricated using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. Grain sizes from micrometer, to submicron, nano, and ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) were controlled by varying CH4, hydrogen, and argon gas concentrations during the syntheses. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman scattering spectroscopy were used to investigate the morphologies, composites, and crystallinities of the films. Four multifunctional sensor prototypes were designed, fabricated, and tested, based on the four diamond materials of different grain sizes. The responses of the four prototypes to either pollution gas or UV light illumination were systematically investigated at different operating temperatures. Experimental data indicated the obtained UNCD composite from the low-cost simple CVD fabrication technique appeared to have very good sensitivities when exposed to low concentrations of H2 or NH3 gas with a decent response and fast recovery time. Furthermore, highly induced photocurrents from both microdiamond- and UNCD-based prototypes to deep UV illumination were also demonstrated, with responsivities up to 2750 mA/W and 550 mA/W at 250 nm wavelength, respectively. Overall, the fabricated UNCD prototypes displayed a good balance in performance for multifunctional sensor applications in terms of responsivity, stability, and repeatability.

 

Two-dimensional (2D) tungsten disulfide nanosheets (WS2) could be a promising candidate for high-performance self-powered photodetectors. The present 2D nanosheets were obtained from liquid exfoliation in a mixture of ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol via a direct dispersion and ultrasonication method. Using the spin-coating technique, a thin film of uniform thickness was formed on the SiO2/Si substrate. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed that the S/W ratio in the fabricated WS2 film was around 1.2 to 1.34, indicating certain deficiencies in the S atoms. These S vacancies induce localized states within the bandgap of pristine WS2, resulting in a higher conductivity in the exfoliated sample. The obtained thin film seems to be highly efficient in photoelectric conversion, with a responsivity of ~0.12 mA/W at 670 nm under zero bias voltage, with an intensity of 5.2 mW/cm2. Instead, at a bias of 2 V, it exhibits a responsivity of 12.74 mA/W and a detectivity of 1.17 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W− 1 at 4.1 mW/cm2. The present 2D nanosheets exhibit high photon absorption in a wide range of spectra from the near infrared (IR) to near UV spectrum. 

With the advances in nanofabrication technology, horizontally aligned and well-defined nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond nanostripes can be fabricated with widths in the order of tens of nanometers. The study of the size-dependent electron transport properties of these nanostructures is crucial to novel electronic and electrochemical applications. In this paper, 100 nm thick n-type ultrananocrystalline diamond thin films were synthesized by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method with 5% N2 gas in the plasma during the growth process. Then the nanostripes were fabricated using standard electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching techniques. The electrical transport properties of the free-standing single nanostripes of different widths from 75 to 150 nm and lengths from 1 to 128 μm were investigated. The study showed that the electrical resistivity of the n-type ultrananocrystalline diamond nanostripes increased dramatically with the decrease in the nanostripe width. The nanostripe resistivity was nearly doubted when the width was reduced from 150 nm to 75 nm. The size-dependent variability in conductivity could originate from the imposed diffusive scattering of the nanostripe surfaces which had a further compounding effect to reinforce the grain boundary scattering.